Before you begin
Three things to have in front of you
- 1
Your ABC LED account email and password
We email this to you when your sign is installed. It only controls your own sign(s) — nobody else's.
- 2
Know which brand of controller is in your sign
Your invoice or the sticker inside the sign says Huidu (HD) or Novastar. The software you install depends on that. If you're not sure, ask us and we'll tell you in one minute.
- 3
Know how your sign gets online
Wi-Fi at your building, a built-in cellular (4G) SIM card we supplied, or a network cable. USB-stick-only signs can't be updated remotely — see the note at the bottom.
Step 1
What to install on your computer
Install only the software that matches your sign brand. Everything below is free and comes from the manufacturer. Windows is recommended; Mac users can do everything from the phone app instead.
HD Player V5.3
RequiredThe main program for building your message: text, pictures, video, time and temperature.
Get it: huidu.cn → Support → Downloads → HD Player
Use version 5.3 — that's what we set your sign up with.
Huidu Cloud account (web)
RequiredSends your message to the sign over the internet and shows whether the sign is online.
Get it: Web browser — no install. Log in with the account we emailed you.
VLC Media Player
OptionalFree player used to check that a video file actually plays before you send it.
Get it: videolan.org
Only download from the manufacturer
Step 2
What to install on your phone or tablet
HD Player (Huidu) — App Store
RequiredChange text, send pictures, adjust brightness and turn the sign on or off.
Get it: App Store — search “HD Player” by Huidu
Only for Huidu signs.
ViPlex Handy — App Store
RequiredSame idea for Novastar signs: text, images, brightness, power.
Get it: App Store — search “ViPlex Handy”
Only for Novastar signs.
What the phone can do: change the wording, swap a picture or short video, set brightness, set the on/off times, restart the sign, and see if it's online. What it can't do: change the sign's size or panel settings — that's our job, and changing it will blank the screen.
Step 3
Get your sign talking to the cloud
- 1
Stand within about 30 feet of the sign
Open your phone's Wi-Fi list.
- 2
Join the sign's own Wi-Fi network
It appears as a name like HD-XXXXXX or AP-XXXXXX. The default password is on the card we gave you (commonly 88888888).
- 3
Open the app and select your sign
It should appear automatically in the device list.
- 4
Point the sign at your building's Wi-Fi
In the app go to the network or Wi-Fi settings for the sign, pick your building's network, and type its password. 2.4 GHz networks only — most signs can't see 5 GHz.
- 5
Confirm it says “Online”
Switch your phone back to normal Wi-Fi or cellular, log into your cloud account, and the sign should show a green online status within a couple of minutes.
Step 4
Put your first message on the screen
- 1
Start a new program
In the computer software, create a new program and enter the exact pixel size we wrote on your handover sheet (for example 192 × 96). Wrong size = cut-off or squashed text.
- 2
Add your content
Add a text area, picture, or video. Keep text large and short — a driver has about three seconds to read it. High-contrast colors read best: white, yellow, or red on black.
- 3
Set how long each page shows
Five to eight seconds per page is the sweet spot.
- 4
Preview it
Use the preview window before you send anything to the sign.
- 5
Publish
Choose your sign from the device list and send. Over the cloud it usually lands in under a minute; large videos take longer.
- 6
Look at the sign
Always confirm with your own eyes, or ask someone on site. The software saying “success” means it sent — not that it looks right.
Step 5
Brightness, timezone and on/off times
Set these once and forget them. In the app or cloud, open your sign's settings and set:
- Timezone — must match your location or every schedule runs at the wrong hour.
- Automatic brightness — turn it on. A sign at full brightness at night is blinding and draws complaints.
- On/off schedule — for example on at 6:00 AM, off at 11:00 PM. This saves power and extends the life of the LEDs.
- Check local sign ordinances — some cities limit brightness or hours.
If something goes wrong
Quick troubleshooting
| Problem | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sign shows offline in the cloud | No power, Wi-Fi password changed, or cellular data expired | Confirm the sign has power, re-join it to Wi-Fi, then call us to check the data plan. |
| Message sent but the screen didn't change | Sent to the wrong device, or the file is still transferring | Check you picked the right sign and wait five minutes. Then resend a small text-only page as a test. |
| Text is cut off at the edges | The program size doesn't match the sign size | Rebuild the program using the exact pixel size on your handover sheet. |
| Video won't play | File too large or an unsupported format | Convert to MP4 (H.264), keep it under about 50 MB, and resend. |
| Part of the screen is dark | Hardware — a failed panel, ribbon cable or power supply | Don't change settings. Call us; this is a service visit. |
| Colors look wrong | Panel configuration was changed | Call us — we reload the correct configuration file remotely. |
Please don't change these
Still stuck? Contact ABC LED and we'll log in and fix it remotely — usually while you're on the phone.